First Thoughts on the One

I unpacked and set up my brand new Xbox One this afternoon and boy is it pretty. It’s shiny and sleek, like a modern VCR (it’s pretty big), and as quiet as a mouse. The start up process was a bit arduous, taking the best part of an hour just to unbox it, plug it in and run the initial update. Then I had to install the necessary add-ons and watch the ‘quick guide to setting up’ videos. But, once all was done and everything was set up, I finally got to gaming.

Now, I’ve not had long to play with this new console, so I’ll be brief in my descriptions.

Unlike many new Xbox One owners, I would imagine, the first game that I played was Ryse: Son of Rome. The graphics are stunning, for starts. The textures are smooth and almost life like and the combat looks incredible. The combat plays incredibly well too, and is brutal to say the least. The game uses a combination of semi-quicktime and real time play. You wear the enemy down with the usual mixture of light and heavy attacks but, when prompted, using RT and a combination of X and Y will allow you to ‘execute’ the opponent. This can range from anything to slicing a man’s head or arm off, to bashing them to death with your shield. So far, so good!

I then jumped over to FIFA (as I was allowing it to install whilst I played Ryse). The most noticeable change comes in the graphics and especially in the crowd. There are actual people in the stadium now, they’re no longer creepy animated cardboard cut outs! That’s a real plus for me, I often find that the most impressive aspect of a game of football is the atmosphere in the stadium, and EA have recreated this perfectly with their next-gen FIFA. Graphically it’s much smoother than it’s current-gen counterpart, but I wouldn’t say that it’s an amazing difference. The gameplay is much better, though. The play flows well and there are neat little add-ons, like the ability for three people to challenge for the same ball in the air. Overall I would say that I much prefer this title to the original, but give me a week or so and I’ll get back to you!

I’ll finish up with Dead Rising 3. This game has really impressed me thus far. Just like Ryse and FIFA, the graphics are impressive, but that’s what we’d expect. The gameplay is much darker than that of Dead Rising 1 & 2, which is a welcome change. It feels more serious than its counterparts, but still with that tongue in cheek undertone that we’ve all come to love from the series. There are far more zombies than ever before and far more than on any zombie game I’ve ever played. I had well over a hundred flesh eaters scratching at my feet within the first ten minutes of the game. That being said, I’m sure there’s a lot more to this game than just masses of zombies. So expect a more detailed review of this, and the others, in the weeks to come!

Until then, I’ll keep getting used to my new console and I’ll be bringing you the interesting bits that I find along the way!